0 Minutes in 3 Games: The Wizards Are Right to Wait on AJ Dybantsa

Photo: ESPN. AJ Dybantsa, Washington Wizards forward, official player headshot.

AJ Dybantsa, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 draft, has played zero regular-season minutes for the Washington Wizards. He sat out all three of their games, against Milwaukee, Toronto and Chicago, with a sprained left ankle, per ESPN's injury reports and AP. Washington went 2-1 without him, and that record is the best argument for keeping him out a little longer.

What actually happened

The injury came in the preseason finale at New Orleans on Oct. 16, per NBA.com, which reported that he "suffered the injury in the team's preseason finale." ESPN's game log shows he played 15 minutes that night and scored 12 points on 4-of-8 shooting before leaving.

Since then the reason has not changed. AP's recap of the 128-116 opening win over Milwaukee on Wednesday said he "didn't play because of an ankle injury." On Thursday, NBA.com reported that coach Brian Keefe called the injury day-to-day and believes Dybantsa won't miss much time. He missed Friday's 112-102 home loss to Toronto anyway. Then the Wizards' own injury report on Saturday listed "AJ Dybantsa (left ankle sprain) - Out" for the game in Chicago. AP's recap of the 124-120 win over the Bulls called him day to day with a sprained left ankle, "delaying his anticipated NBA debut."

ESPN's injury page carries an estimated return date of Oct. 26. That is Monday's game at Charlotte. It is an estimate on an injury page, not a team announcement.

The preseason showed enough

He played four exhibition games, per ESPN's game log, and logged 86 minutes, 21.5 a game. He scored 51 points, 12.8 a game, with 15 rebounds and six steals. He scored 14 against Detroit in an overtime game and 14 more against Brooklyn in 25 minutes, his longest night.

The shooting was rough. He went 18 of 44 from the field, 40.9%, and 2 of 11 from three, per ESPN. He made 13 of 21 free throws. Those numbers do not argue for rushing him. They describe a 19-year-old, per AP, who drew 21 free-throw attempts in 86 preseason minutes.

The take: a slow week is the correct week

Here is the argument. Three missed games on a day-to-day ankle look like a story only because of the pick number.

Washington has every reason to wait. The franchise traded for Anthony Davis and Trae Young last season and then drafted Dybantsa first overall, per AP. Davis and Young are carrying the team now. Davis scored 34 with 12 rebounds in the opener, per AP. Young had 25 points and nine assists in Chicago, per the ESPN box score. The Wizards are winning games without their rookie, which removes the only real pressure to play him early.

The third quarter in Chicago made the case. Washington outscored the Bulls 40-20, per ESPN, with Young's seven points and five assists in the frame leading it, per AP. That was the stretch where Caleb Wilson's 30-point night came up short. Washington did not need its best prospect to win a road game on the second night of a back-to-back.

A 2-1 record is what makes patience cheap. Washington is right to let a mild sprain be boring, and wrong only if it lets the wait drift without a clear update.

What the wait does cost

The cost is real, and it is mostly about information. Every game he misses is a game the coaching staff cannot see him next to Davis and Young in a regular-season setting. Tristan Vukcevic (hip) and Jamir Watkins (left ACL surgery) are also out, per the Wizards' injury report, so the rotation is already thin.

Bilal Coulibaly had 11 points, four steals and two blocks in 29 minutes in the opener, per the ESPN box score. Justin Champagnie had 11 points and 14 rebounds in Chicago, per ESPN.

The debut also carries a home-crowd cost. Washington's next game is on the road at Charlotte on Monday, per ESPN's schedule. If he debuts Monday, it will be on the road.

What to watch Monday

The signal is simple. If the Wizards list him as questionable or probable on the Charlotte injury report, the debut is near. If he stays out past ESPN's Oct. 26 estimate, the day-to-day label stops meaning much and the questions get fair.

Until then the patience makes sense. A 2-1 start bought the Wizards time.

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Sources: NBA.com, "No. 1 Pick AJ Dybantsa (ankle) to remain sidelined" (Oct. 22, 2026) · AP recap via ESPN, Wizards 128, Bucks 116 · AP recap via ESPN, Raptors 112, Wizards 102 · AP recap via ESPN, Wizards 124, Bulls 120 · ESPN injury reports and box scores, games 401909835, 401909846, 401909857 · ESPN AJ Dybantsa preseason game log · Sporting News, quoting the Wizards' Oct. 24 injury report · ESPN Wizards schedule